Were young men truly MAGA? This is the PoliticsPA Playbook.
Good Monday Morning. Today is the last day to register to vote in the midterm elections.
Your Morning Pick Me Up. Cheeseburger in Paradise. Jimmy Buffett
PA Weather
Hollidaysburg | Sunny, 68 Wellsboro | Sunny, 66 New Holland | Sunny, 67
PA Sports 
Steelers (4-2) | Tampa Bay 26-19 (OT) | Sun vs. New Orleans Eagles (2-4) | Carolina 14-25 | Mon vs. Dallas Pitt (5-2) | Boston College 21-27 | Sat at Miami Penn State (3-4) | Michigan 18-21 | Oct. 31 vs. Purdue Temple (2-5) | Charlotte 31-38 | Oct. 31 at East Carolina
Union (13W, 7D, 10L) | Charlotte 2-2 | Sat vs. New England
Flyers (1-6-3) | Ottawa 3-1 | Mon vs. Colorado Penguins (3-5-1) | Colorado 2-5 | Vegas 2-6 | Mon at Utah
Sixers (0-0) | Tue at New York
What We’re Listening To. On this episode of Voices of Reason, Steve Ulrich speaks with Robert Boatright, Professor of Political Science at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., and author of six books, who studies and writes about campaign finance. They will discuss the basic rules anyone can use to understand information about money in elections.
What We’re Hearing. “We have the chance to create four Democratic trifectas in states. This is a once in a 20-year generation opportunity. I haven’t seen this in a long time in my career, and we can’t just expect that top of the ticket races are going to help us downballot,” Leslie Martes, CEO of Forward Majority, added. “We have to resource this level of the ballot.”
Tips. PoliticsPA is Pennsylvania’s premier source for nonpartisan political news and analysis. Tips or press releases can be sent to steve@politicspa.com.
The PoliticsPA Playbook is compiled by Steve Ulrich. For the web version, click here. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.
Top Story
“Turns out, young men weren’t truly MAGA after all. According to the latest data, they mostly wanted cheap gas and no war—and they’re turning on the podcasters (Rogan) and politicians (Vance) who said that Trump would deliver. But other than Obama, Democrats aren’t winning the dude vote either.” | Puck
Elsewhere
A Bad Sign For GOP Midterm Hopes? PA Voters Glum About Trump, Country. “In what could be an ominous sign for Republicans heading into midterm elections, President Donald Trump’s approval rating among Pennsylvania voters has hit a five-month low, while pessimism about the country and state has reached a five-month high.” | PennLive
PA-01: Does Fitzpatrick’s Challenger Have ‘FBI Files’ to Release? PA Legal Experts Say It’s Unlikely. “Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s campaign has repeatedly called his Democratic challenger the “subject” of an FBI investigation in attack ads. Here’s what to know.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
PA-07: Brooks Told Mackenzie to Take Down ‘False and Defamatory’ Ads in a Lehigh Valley Race. “In a Pennsylvania swing district that’s seen some of the sharpest and highest volume of attack ads this fall, Democrat Bob Brooks has called on Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie to take down ads that he said were false and defamatory.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
PA-07: Trump Giveth, Trump Taketh? PA’s 7th District Race Puts GOP Incumbent to the Test. “In Pennsylvania’s ultimate swing district, what Donald Trump has given, a brewing Trump backlash in the midterms could very well take away.” | PennLive
PA-10: Democrats See 2026 As Their Best Shot Yet to Unseat Scott Perry. “As former television anchor Janelle Stelson prepares for a rematch after coming within 1.2 percentage points of defeating Perry in 2024, Democrats believe they may have their best chance yet to flip the seat. The bigger question is whether it is their last best chance.” | PennLive
State
“The two major party candidates for Pennsylvania governor — incumbent Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican challenger Stacy Garrity — made stops in the Pittsburgh area on Saturday.
Garrity, the state treasurer, addressed hundreds of voters in Green Tree in the afternoon, hoping to garner support for her campaign based on recent changes to the legality of skill games in Pennsylvania.
Shapiro spoke to a crowd of more than 50 labor union members, teachers and community members at an Allegheny/Fayette Central Labor Council rally Saturday morning in Duquesne Heights.” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Elsewhere
What Would Pennsylvania Look Like Under a Libertarian Governor? “Voters disenchanted with the two-party political system have a third option for governor on the ballot Nov. 3.” | USA Today Network
Skill Games Saga Ends With Outlawed Gambling Machines Removed … For Now. “The Pennsylvania General Assembly missed an Oct. 14 deadline to act on legalizing the devices.” | Penn Capital-Star
Shapiro Is ‘Very Open’ to Trump’s Education Tax Credit Program. “Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has said he’s “very open” to opting his state into the Trump-backed federal scholarship tax credit program. But he may wait until after the midterm elections to make his official decision.” | Chalkbeat
Rep. Summer Lee and Others See Themselves Fighting a Civil Rights Battle An Earlier Generation Thought It Won. “U.S. Supreme Court rulings have weakened the Voting Rights Act, a landmark law signed before many in Congress were born.” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pennsylvania’s Whole Home Repairs Program Was a Success — and a National Model. What Happened To It? “Democrats, and some Republicans, have continued to champion Whole Home Repairs and advocate for its funding to be restored in the state’s budget. But the spending hasn’t been reauthorized since the initial 2022-23 allocation.” | WESA
Around The Commonwealth
“Two years ago, working-class voters’ anger over the high cost of living helped carry Republican Ryan Mackenzie into Congress by a 1% margin. Now, those same pocketbook issues threaten to unseat the freshman incumbent, who is fighting for his political survival in a swing district.” | Wall Street Journal
Elsewhere
Americans Are Unhappy. How Will They Vote? “The FT’s focus group in the Pennsylvania battleground of Bethlehem revealed anxiety about the country ahead of the US midterms.” | Financial Times
In a Former US Steel City, Ordinary People Struggle to Get By. “Voters like Henry Martin plan to skip the polls entirely this time, frustrated with both major political parties. “They’re living the high life,” said the 32-year-old warehouse manager. “The everyday average Joe like me, we’re not doing great at all.”” | AFP
2026 Election Preview: 170th Legislative District. “Martina White faces Rob Gurtcheff in this northeast Philadelphia contest.” | PoliticsPA
Inside Penn’s Push For 100% Student Voter Registration. “In 2020, then-Penn President Amy Gutmann made an ambitious pledge: that within eight years, every eligible member of the campus community would be registered to vote and would cast a ballot. Six years later, the University’s nonpartisan voter registration group, Penn Leads the Vote, continues to work toward that goal.” | Daily Pennsylvanian
Editorial
1 Thing
“Stephanie Joseph was working at a television station when someone started a false rumor claiming she and a married colleague were romantically involved.
Joseph, then 20, barely knew the man in question and didn’t hear the gossip until a producer told her it was circulating.
Details about the private lives or behavior of other people have a way of buzzing through workplaces. Gossip can damage the reputations of both its subjects and the people spreading it, who may come to be seen as untrustworthy. While those downsides are widely known, sharing the latest rumblings at work can also have benefits, experts said.” | AP
Thank you for starting your week with us.
Let’s make it a good one.
